Keris, the passion of a Belgian man
Keris, the passion of a Belgian man
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Marc Peeters, 54, may not have discovered his passion for the
keris, or kris, if he had not married a woman from Klaten,
Central Java.
He learned about the traditional dagger through his in-laws,
and his fondness for the kris grew stronger through his
friendship with Hayar Satoto, a kris collector from Solo -- about
20 kilometers northeast of Klaten.
Becoming a kris collector was just the beginning, however, and
today, he can be found giving evening lectures on kris and
expounding upon his "newfound" love to audiences comprised mostly
of foreigners.
"What I love most about kris is its pamor (ornamental pattern
on the blade)," he said before the opening of the Keris
Exhibition at Erasmus Huis in Kuningan, Central Jakarta.
The public can take a look at some kris from his private
collection -- mostly Javanese-made daggers -- on display from
April 12 through May 6.
The exhibition is also educational, and offers visitors
information on the history of kris, the different types that were
developed over the years, how a kris blade is made, the different
types of blades and their mystic value, how to maintain a kris
and a slide show of the collection.
A special service for cleaning kris blades will also be
provided on April 16 and April 29.
Marteen C.D. Mulder, director of Erasmus Huis, said Peeters
was very knowledgeable about the kris, so he was often invited to
speak at discussions on the kris and its tradition.
Haryono Guritno, chairman of the Brotherhood of Dagger Lovers
(Damartaji), praised the exhibition, saying the increasing number
of foreigners who had come to love the kris should also raise
excitement among Indonesians toward their ancient heritage.
He added that Indonesia had been persuading the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to
recognize kris as a world heritage.
Haryono emphasized that kris was a unique art form because it
incorporated high technique, high artistic design and mysticism
as well.
Among the Javanese, the kris is known to have three distinct
elements: the wilah (blade), the wrangka (sheath) and selut
(hilt).
The empu, or kris maker, of the past created the dagger from
meteors that have fallen to earth and iron.
The combination of the materials "symbolizes the unification
of heaven and earth", Haryono said.
A sheathed blade symbolizes peace -- the unification of God
and man, but an exposed blade will cause bloodshed, he added.
Peeters, 54, first came to Indonesia in 1977 as an engineer
for a three-week assignment. However, he extended his stay and
now works on telecommunications infrastructure. Love was also in
the cards for Peeters, and he and his wife have two children and
a grandchild.
What is so special about a kris that can drive a Belgian man
to become a collector?
A kris is a Malay or Indonesian dagger with a ridged,
serpentine blade, and is found in many Southeast Asian countries.
When it comes to quality, however, the Javanese kris is the
favored piece.
For Peeters, a kris is not a mere dagger. It has a solid
beauty and spiritual aura, and it is for this quality that he has
collected almost 300 kris since the 1980s.
Like a typical Javanese kris collector, Peeters cleans his
kris once year in the month of Sura -- the first month of the
Javanese calendar.
"Once I did not clean the kris and you know what? I lost my
belongings the other day. I don't know if it's coincidence or a
mystic thing," he said.
Keris: The Passion of A Collector runs from April 12 through May
6 at Erasmus Huis, Jl H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. S-3, Kuningan,
Central Jakarta.